Game counter



Aug.26, 1941. F. A. HUMPHREYS 2,253,563

GAME COUNTER Filed April 26, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

BY H w/70's 4 Hum 262195 Aug. 26, 1941.

I F. A. HUMPHREYS 7 2,253,563

GAME COUNTER Filed April 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

BY 54/7373 flA um M e /J 1941- F. A. HUMPHREYS 2,253,563

GAME COUNTER Filed April 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTOR.

Patented Aug. 26, 1941 GAME COUNTER Francis A. Humphreys, Fayetteville, Ark., assignoi to Thomas Hadden Humphreys, as trustee,

Little Rock, Ark.

Application April 26, 1939, Serial No. 270,086

7 Claims. (Cl. 23579) The invention relates to a device for keeping score in a game and in the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings the structure is particularly adapted for keeping score in the card game of bridge although the mechanism is not limited to this particular game or any other card game.

One object of the invention is to indicate a temporary score Without affecting a totalizing accumulator and to provide for mechanically adding such temporary score into the accumulator when desired, and then to indicate the total score and any subsequent temporary score.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a compact scoring device, including a coverplate with elongated score indicia columns and adding mechanism associated therewith but beneath such cover plate, with card compartments beneath the cover plate at the sides of the adding mechanism.

These and other detailed objects of the invention are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an isometric view of a device embodying the invention and arranged for maintaining the scores of two sets of partners and for this purpose the mechanisms are duplicated. It will be understood that the invention will be complete if embodying a counter for a single player or set of partners and also could be modified to include a greater number of players or partners than indicated.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 4 and showing the parts in a normal position.

Figure 3 is a detail side view of one of the mechanisms used in the adding operation.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the section line 4-4 of Figure 2 with the parts intheir normal position.

Figure 4a is a corresponding section with the parts moved to a temporary position assumed when the temporary scores are to be carried into the totalizer.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 55 of Figure 2 and showing the parts in a normal position.

Figure 5a is a similar section with the parts moved to a temporary position when the adding operation is to be performed The top plate I has longitudinal slots 2, 3 and 4, each provided with spaced transverse recesses 5. An indicating and setting device is associated with each slot and includes an upright I (Figure 4) slidable in the slot, and a bell crank pivoted I thereon at 8. The bell crank includes an upwardly extending arm 9 and a horizontally extending arm Ill having an indicator pointer ll, disposed to engage the top surface of plate I, and having a depending lug l2 adapted to enter any one of the transverse recesses. A spring l3 thrusts the bell crank in anti-clockwise directicn.

A guide plate i4 is spaced just below top plate I and an element l5 fixed on upright l slidably engages plates I and M to facilitate the sliding of upright I along its slot when the bell crank is moved clockwise manually to disengage lug 12 from a recess in which it is seated.

Immediately below plate M are a plurality of longitudinal rack bars [6, each having a pin and slot connection H at one end to a corresponding upright l and normally resting intermediate its ends on angles !8 extending transversely of the machine and normally held in elevated position by a spring S coiled about a shaft 20 extending transversely of the machine. Individual springs l9 mounted on angles [8 engage the upper face of each bar it and thrust it downwardly towards the supporting angle.

Accumulator order wheels 2|, 3i and M are rotatably mounted on shaft 29 and each wheel comprises a disk 22 and a peripheral flange 23 which bears digits running from 1 to 9 and 0. Each disk 22 has a corresponding number of lateral pins '24 projecting laterally in the opposite direction from its flange 23 and carrying one or two disks 22a spaced from disk 22. Pins 24 are disposed to be engaged by the teeth 160. on the lower edges of the associated rack bar or bars I5 (Figure 4a) although normally angles l8 hold all of the rack bars out of engagement with pins 23 (Figure 4) Each wheel has an individual spring pressed pawl 25 (Figure l) normally bearing against two pins 24 to hold the corresponding counter wheel against rotation.

At the left hand side of the top plate is a depressible key 26, the stem 2'! of which (Figure 5) mounts a T-shaped plate 28, having arms res-ting on top of angles 58, and having a depending leg slotted at 29 to receive shaft 20 and extending below the shaft to engage a spring pressed arm 30 normally holding plate 28 and key 25 in the elevated position indicated in Figures 2, 4 and 5.

Key 26 may be depressed manually to lower strips l8 and rack bars I8 from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 4a in which the bar teeth ifia engage pins 2-1 on the wheels. While key 26 is held depressed, any setting device 'l--9 may be gripped to free its lug l2 from the recess and the device moved to its original zero position indicated on top plate I. This movement of a setting device and its corresponding rack bar l5 rotates the corresponding counter wheel and it will be understood that the rotation of the counter wheel corresponds, in terms of the digits thereon, to the number of digits along the slot in the top plate over which the indicating device is moved.

A complete revolution of the right hand wheel 2| carrying the tens digits may be carried into counter wheel 3| carrying the hundreds digits in any desired manner. For example, I utilize a ratchet pawl 35, pivoted at 31 to tens digit wheel 2|, and having a spring 45 thrusting the pawl toe towards pins 24 on hundreds digit wheel 3|. A cam 36 fixed on shaft 20 between wheels 2| and 3| has a high dwell 42 (Figure 3) which throughout most of the rotation of Wheel 2| and pawl 35 holds the latter from engagement with Pins 24 on wheel 3| but as wheel 2| is rotated from its 9 position to its 0 position toe 43 will drop into the low portion 44 of the cam and wheel 3| will be rotated 36 whereupon the cam will raise pawl 35 and further rotation of wheel 2| will not aiIect wheel 3| until wheel 2| is completing another rotation, whereupon the wheel 3| will be rotated another 36.

Operation.-Assuming that a hand has been played and the We partners have scored 100 points for game and a 500 point bonus. The bell crank pivoted to the arm I in slot 3 is rotated manually to free the device which is moved manually to position its finger over the 50 indicia (it being understood that cover I bears an additional units cipher 46) and the bell crank pivoted to the arm in slot 40 is similarly rotated and the arm moved to bring its indicator opposite the l indicia, In so moving the setting and indicating devices the corresponding bars I6 slide over angles l8 without afiecting the accumulator wheels. The device may be reciprocated freely in its slot without affecting the corresponding order wheel.

To add either of these scores into the total, at the moment, or later, key 26 is depressed manually to engage teeth I ia and pins 24 and corresponding arm I is as desired returned manually to its normal position in which the indicator I is over the O indicia. Such movement rotates wheel 2| or 3| as the case may be in a clockwise direction (Figure 4) and the score will be indicated by the digits visible through the openings 41 in the cover plate.

If the score for game had been less than 100 (for bridge) or if it is desired to leave the honor score indicator remain in indicating position or if for any other reason it is not desired to add any score into the total, the corresponding setting and indicating device may be left in projected position instead of being returned to zero position, in which case the temporary score will be indicated by the device until such time as it is returned to zero position simultaneously with the depression of adding key 26. Any error in the movement of the setting and indicating device may be corected, without affecting the totalizer, by moving the device to the correct position without depressing key 26. Similarly, upon the acquisition of an additional score, the setting device may be moved down to the necessary extent to indicate the additional score but neither the score originally indicated nor the new score indicated will be accumulated in the order wheel merely by the setting movement of the device.

Preferably top plate I forms the 'cover of a box or cabinet as best shown in Figure 1. The accumulator wheels 2|, 3| and 4| and the adjacent parts, including angles I8, are housed in a compartment 48 extending the full depth of the box but a relatively short distance length wise of the box. This type of construction provides for compartments 49, one at each side of compartment 48, each adapted to receive a deck of cards which are readily accessible through the door 53.

Adjacent each total score visible through openings 41, is a disk 5| movable by manual rotation of a button 52 to bring an indicia 53 beneath an opening 54 in the top plate to indicate whether or not the players are vulnerable. This device does not affect the score indicating or adding mechanism.

The cover plate may bear other desirable indicia such as a table of trick values, honor, slam, overtrick and other bonus and penalty items and the details of the construction may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive we of such modifications of the invention as come within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a top plate having an opening, a counter wheel beneath said plate and disposed vertically thereto with a drum-like periphery bearing numerals which may be exposed consecutively through sa d opening, said wheel having laterally projecting pins, a group of numerals on said plate at the side of said opening, a rack bar beneath said plate and manually slidable longitudinally of said group of numerals from an original zero position and having teeth adapted to engage said pins, a spring device normally holding said teeth out of engagement with said pins, manually operable means for rendering said spring device ineiiective and thereby engaging said teeth and pins, whereby movement of said rack bar to its original position will rotate said counter Wheel to expose through said opening a numeral thereon determined by the movement of the rack bar along said group of numerals.

2. In a device of the class described, a cover plate with a plurality of slots and bearing an individual series of numerals alongside of each of said slots, each of said series progressing in the same direction, an indicating and setting device movable along each of said slots from an original zero indicating position to a position adjacent one of said numerals, said devices be ing movable independently of each other, an accumulator bearing numerals corresponding to said first-mentioned numerals, and means associated with said indicating-setting devices and said accumlator wheel and actuated by individual manual movement of each of said devices to its starting position, independently of the other devices, to mechanically add the corresponding indicated numeral into said accumulator wheel and to visibly indicate the total through said cover plate.

3. In a device of the class described, a cover plate having an opening, an accumulator wheel beneath said plate and bearing numerals selectively exposed through said opening, groups of numerals on said plate extending in opposite directions at right angles to the axis of said Wheel at opposite sides of said opening, each group consisting of a series of numerals associated with the numerals of said wheel and progressing from one end of the series to the other and the two series being in alignment with each other and with said opening, there being an individual setting and indicating device associated with each of said groups of numerals and enageable manually to be moved from an initial zero position to a pos tion adjacent one of said numerals to indicate the same without affecting said wheel, and manually operable means for connecting said devices individually to said wheel,

said wheel then being rotatable by said means upon the return of either of the devices to zero position.

4. In a device of the class described, a cover plate having a sight opening, and an accumulator Wheel beneath said plate and bearing numerals selectively exposable through said opening, slots in said plate extending in opposite directions from said sight opening and substantially at right angles to the axis of said wheel. a series of progressive indicia numenals on said plate at intervals along said slots. an individual setting and indicating device reciprocable in each of said slots, without affecting said wheel. between an initial zero position and an advanced position in which it indicates a selected one of said numerals, and manually operable means for engaging said device and said wheel, said wheel then being actuated by the manual return of said device to its initial position to accumulate in said wheel the numerals indicated.

5. In a device of the class described; a top plate having 'a sight opening, (an accumulator wheel beneath said plate and disposed vertically thereto with a drum-like periphery bearing numerals which may be exposed consecutively through said opening, said Wheel having laterally projecting pins, rack bars beneath said plate extending in opposite directions from said opening and substantially at right angles to the axis of said wheel and being movable longitudinally and having teeth adapted to engage said pins, a spring device normally holding said teeth out of engagement with said pins, manually operable means for rendering said spring device ineffective and thereby engaging said teeth with said pins, an individual group of indicating numerals on said plate arranged at intervals above each of said rack bars and increasing progressively in one direction, a setting device secured to each of said rack bars and associated with the corresponding set of numerals, whereby the amount of any indicating numeral on either side of said opening may be separately added mechanically into said accumulator wheel by manual movement of the corresponding rack bar from an original zero position to a desired indicating numeral position, actuating said means, and returning said bar to its original position.

6. In a device of the class described, an accumulator wheel, rack bars extending trans- Versely of the axis of said wheel and normally disengaged from said wheel but adapted to be engaged with said wheel independently of each other, manually operable devices individual to said rack bars for moving the same from an original zero position to an advanced position without affecting said accumulator wheel, a group of progressive indicia numerals associated With each rack bar, a manually operable structure for simultaneously engaging said rack bars with said accumulator wheel, said accumulator wheel being then rotatable, upon return of one of said rack bars to its original position, to add the quantity indicated by the setting of that rack bar only prior to the return movement.

7. In a device of the class described, a top plate, an accumulator wheel beneath said plate with its axis disposed parallel to the plane of said plate, said wheel comprising a plurality of spaced discs with transverse pins between them, a plurality of toothed rack bars extending side by side and slidable beneath said plate independently of each other in respective spaces be tween said discs without rotating said wheel, means for simultaneously engaging the teeth of said bars with said pins, and manually operable individual means associated with said bars for moving them independently of each other to rotate said wheel.

F. A. HUMPHREYS. 

